Questionnaire of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues
United Kingdom responses
Introduction
The United Kingdom has a strong and effective legal framework which protects the human rights of all individuals, and protects everyone, including Roma, Gypsies and Travellers, from discrimination and hate crime.
In England, Scotland and Wales, the Equality Act 2010 provides a modern, single legal framework with clear, streamlined law to more effectively tackle disadvantage and discrimination. It covers nine protected characteristics, including race (which is defined as including colour, nationality (including citizenship), and ethnic or national origins).
The Act requires public bodies and others carrying out public functions to give due regard in their day-to-day work to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. These statutory duties apply to organisations across the public sector including Government departments, the health service, schools, local authorities, the police and prisons.
Northern Ireland has comprehensive legislation on racial discrimination which, as in the rest of the UK, protects all individuals, from unlawful racial discrimination and creates a similar statutory duty to show due regard to key groups affected by their decision making; this includes different racial groups.
Tackling inequalities is a responsibility that is addressed across government and public bodies as reflected in the Government’s strategies and measures to tackle disadvantage: the Social Mobility Strategy; the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality Strategy; the Child Poverty Strategy; the Social Justice Strategy; the ‘Troubled Families’ programme; the Disability Strategy; the Integration approach.
The UK is taking forward Roma inclusion through mainstream social inclusion and integration measures and individual Departments and the Devolved Administrations are responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of their own policies.
Question 1: Roma in the UK
In the UK, the definition of “Roma” used by the Special Rapporteur’s questionnaire includes a diverse range of groups, including Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers, and Scottish Gypsies/Travellers, as well as Roma who have migrated to the UK from other parts of Europe.
Gypsies and Travellers
A number of traditional travelling groups have lived and travelled in Great Britain and Ireland for centuries. They include Romany Gypsies, Irish Travellers and Scottish Gypsies/Travellers. Many now live in houses and do not travel, or do not travel all of the time, but may still consider Gypsy or Traveller to be their ethnic identity. The 2011 census for the first time included a Gypsy and Traveller tick-box in the ethnic origin question. Some 58,000 people in England and Wales identified as Gypsy or Irish Traveller in the 2011 census.
Roma
The term “Roma” is usually used in the UK for people of Roma origin who have come to the UK in recent years, particularly following the end of the Cold War and successive enlargements of the EU in 2004 and 2007. There are no reliable data on the number Roma in the UK - entrants to the UK are not monitored by ethnic origin.
Question 2 Socio-economic data
A wide selection of data is published online at:
The Office for National Statistics has published an analysis of what the 2011 census tells us about the characteristics of Gypsies and Irish Travellers:
Questions 3-8 Integration policies
The Government’s approach to integration,Creating the Conditions for Integration,highlights:
- Rebalancing activity from centrally-led to locally-led action
- Government’s main roleto enable and support local activity
- Shifting activity from the public sector to the voluntary and private sector
- A focus on Government Departments’ mainstream services (e.g. employment, education, healthcare,housing and culture) to deliver integration priorities
- A focus on changes in society, not the law
To support this approach, the Government is supporting a range of practical and local exemplar projects in England which demonstrate positive or pioneering ideas that are community-led and create the conditions for people to live successfully alongside each other. A list of projects was included in a recent Ministerial statement on integration:
The Government is very concerned about the inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers. A Ministerial working group published a report in 2012 which included 28 commitments designed to help mainstream services work more effectively with these communities.
A summary of progress against each commitment (at 30 October 2014) is attached at the end of this response.
The Welsh Government launched a Gypsy and Travellers framework, Travelling to a Better Future, in September 2011 which sets out the policy direction for the Welsh Government and its partners.
The Scottish Government is working to develop an overarching strategy and action plan for Gypsy/Travellers.
The consultation paper for Northern Ireland’s Racial Equality Strategy 2014-2024 recognises that there “may need to be specific programmes of work to address particular challenges and vulnerabilities facing particular groups such as Irish Travellers and the Roma”. The Northern Ireland Executiveexpect to develop programmes of work in 2015.
Below are some examples of work with local authorities and other local bodies and agencies across the UK that focus on the integration of Roma, Gypsies and Travellers:
Education:
The Government piloted a ‘Virtual Headteacher’ for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils in two local authorities in England – Cambridgeshire and Kent. This is a strategic role focused on monitoring the attainment of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils and fostering collaboration between schools. The local authorities have published the outcomes of their work, including the value of having a senior official with oversight of performance data for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils; and have also produced a number of case studies, highlighting the importance of having the highest expectations for all pupils and equality of access to education. The case studies have been published on the authorities’ websites and the links have been sent to all local authorities in England:
The Government has published brief case studies of schools in England that have been successful in engaging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils and have been effective in helping them achieve:
The Office for Standards in Education (which is responsible for regulating and inspecting services for children and young people in England) published a report in December 2014, Overcoming barriers: ensuring that Roma children are fully engaged and achieving in education, which contains a range of effective practice case studies:
In England, the Government has invested £6million in courses to help isolated people learn to speak English; this includes courses in an area of Sheffield with a relatively large Roma population.
Health:
The Inclusion Health programme was established to drive improvements, mainly through system reform and clinical leadership, to ensure everyone gets the care they need, regardless of their circumstances. The programme focused on improving the health of four priority vulnerable groups with extremely poor health, this included Gypsies and Travellers.
The Government commissioned a guide for Clinical Commissioning Groups in England on improving access to health care for socially excluded groups, including Roma, Gypsies and Travellers. Clinical Commissioning Groups are local bodies that commission local health services in England.
The Welsh Government has completed a public consultation on Travelling to Better Health – guidance for healthcare practitioners on working effectively with Gypsies and Travellers. The final version which will be published in the spring of 2015.
Housing
The Traveller Pitch Funding programme is helping local councils and other housing providers to build 600 and refurbish 350 authorised traveller pitches in England by March 2015.
The Government has published guidance for local councils on planning for traveller sites in England. Local councils should objectively assess their traveller needs and identify a suitable five-year supply of traveller sites to meet local needs, taking account of national planning policy in doing so.The Government also funded a series of training courses, delivered to 1000 councillors in England, on their leadership role around traveller site provision. It has also assisted local councils in England by setting out clearly the powers they have to deal with unauthorised sites.
The Welsh Government published revised guidance on Managing Unauthorised Camping in December 2013 to assist local authorities and stakeholders when responding to encampments in their local area.The Welsh Government also funded the development of the first new local authority Gypsy and Traveller site in Wales since 1997, which opened in April 2014.
The Housing (Wales) Act 2014 introduced a new Statutory Duty on local authorities to develop new local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites where there is unmet need. This includes need for both permanent residential and transit sites.
Residents of local authority owned Gypsy and Traveller sites also benefit from improved security of tenure as a result of implementing the Mobile Homes (Wales) Act 2013 on these sites. The Welsh Government consulted residents of all affected sites during the consultation process. (This legislation was implemented in England in April 2011).
Employment
The services delivered through Jobcentre Plus (Government employment) offices and through the Government’s Work Programme are designed to allow local autonomy and flexibility to support each individual jobseeker – including those who are from Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities.
To support local Jobcentre Plus offices, the Department for Work and Pensions has reviewedinternal staff guidance which now includes easy-to-find information about Gypsy and Traveller issues, including background to the population, history and cultural traditions, as well as links to best practice, and to Gypsy, Traveller and Roma organisations.
Question 9: Roma history and national curriculum
There is no specific requirement to teach history as part of the national curriculum. On 2 April 2014, the House of Lords held a debate to mark International Roma Day. The debate was concluded by a Government minister.
Question 10: Roma representation and consultation
There are a number of national and local non-governmental organisations based in Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities or which act in support of these communities.
Departments from across Government have regular dialogue with, and involve Gypsy, Traveller and Roma civil society in the formulation and implementation of policies and measures designed to support Gypsy, Traveller and Roma inclusion.
The Department for Communities and Local Government holds a quarterly liaison group meeting with Gypsy, Traveller and Roma civil society organisations. The aim of the group is to provide a forum for an exchange of views on issues and policies that have an impact on the well-being of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers. The group recently looked at how to take forward recommendations in a recent report written by Gypsy and Traveller civil society organisations as part of the Roma Decade.
The Scottish Government’s national Gypsy/Traveller Site Working Group met throughout 2014 and included representatives from local authorities, the police, and bodies with close links with the Gypsy/Traveller community. A number of pieces of work are now being taken forward.
Education
The Department for Education in England hosts a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller education stakeholder group to discuss issues specifically related to education with Gypsy, Roma, Traveller civil society organisations.
The Welsh Government funds a website, ‘Travelling Ahead’ an on-line resource celebrating Gypsy and Traveller history and culture:
Health
The Traveller Movement have received Government funding to deliver a three year “Gypsy, Traveller, Roma Maternity Advocacy and Engagement” project. Gypsy and Traveller representative organisations have presented to the National Health Inclusion Board on two occasions and their health needs were considered by the four working groups, on which there was Gypsy and Traveller representation.
The civil society organisation “Friends, Families and Travellers” is receiving Government funding over three years for a project to influence the design and implementation of the commissioning process to address health inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers. This will report in 2015.
In Northern Ireland, Roma women have been trained as Advocates, to act as Health Mediators for the Roma community.
Housing
The Department for Communities and Local Government held oral consultation events with Gypsies and Travellers on changes to planning policy.
The training courses on planning for Councillors (highlighted above) were jointly delivered by two Romany Gypsies.
Employment
The Traveller Movement represents the wider Gypsy and Traveller perspective on the Department for Work and Pensions’ Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group.
The Enterprise Challenge programme, which is receiving Government funding, was asked to expand into Sheffield to help engagement with and the integration of Roma young people there. (Enterprise Challenge is a programme designed to develop and encourage entrepreneurial skills).
In addition
The Government’s Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime includes a representative from a Gypsy and Traveller civil society organisation in order to provide an insight into the day-to-day experience of hate crime within the Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities.
The Government’s Holocaust Commission consulted a range of Gypsy and Roma civil society organisations to consider how the UK could best commemorate and remember the Nazi persecution of Roma. The Commission concluded that it would be an injustice to the memory of Roma victims not to reflect upon their experience.
1
Ministerial Working Group on Gypsies and Travellers commitments progress at 30 October 2014Commitment / Progress so far / Publication
Dept for Education
1. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils are specifically highlighted as a vulnerable group in the revised Ofsted framework. / An explicit reference to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils now appears in the Evaluation Schedule, which guides inspectors in judging the quality of education provided by schools. / Published in time for April 2012 report.
The current version of Ofsted’s school inspection handbook (Sept 2014) can be accessed here:
2. We will pilot a Virtual Head Teacher for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils in a small number of local authorities. Funding will be allocated to each authority for the appointment of a senior dedicated individual to champion the interests of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils across the authority and to monitor and respond to issues of low attainment and attendance. / Two local authorities (Kent and Cambridgeshire) appointed Virtual Head Teachers with a strategic role in the council, focussing on monitoring attainment and fostering school-to-school collaboration. Both authorities ran a number of school level projects designed to improve outcomes of pupils. / The authorities published the outcome of their work in October 2014. This has been shared with the Department’s Education Stakeholder Group, and a link has been sent to all local authorities in England.
Links to the work are below:
3. To tackle poor attendance at school, we intend to look again at the impact of legislation that under certain circumstances protects mobile Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families from prosecution for their children’s non-attendance at school. This will be done in parallel with a review of statutory guidance. / The Department for Education consulted on the repeal of section 444(6) of the Education Act 1996. The formal consultation period ended in February 2013. / Consideration of the best approach to addressing the poor attendance of occupationally mobile pupils is ongoing.
4. In response to the unacceptably high levels of exclusion among Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils, we will take steps to assess the impact of school-based commissioning, alternative provision and early intervention on the most vulnerable pupil groups. / The Department for Education ran a three year school exclusion trial, which ended in July 2014. / A full report on the exclusion trial was published in July 2014:
5. The results of an Ofsted survey on prejudiced-based bullying, which will pick up bullying of minority pupils, will be published next year. / Ofsted published its report, which includes a reference to Traveller pupils. / Ofsted published its report, No place for bullying, in June 2012.
6. We will collect and publish brief case studies from the highest performing schools for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils, to find out from them what lies behind their success. / The Department for Education has published case studies and disseminated case studies from the Virtual Headteachers work (see above) / The case studies were published in September 2014
Dept of Health
7. We will work with the National Inclusion Health Board, the NHS, local government and others to identify what more must be done to include the needs of Gypsies and Travellers in the commissioning of health services. / Gypsy and Traveller organisations presented to the National Inclusion Health Board on two occasions.
The Royal Colleague of General Practitioners was commissioned to produce a guide for clinical commission groups and GPs on commissioning for social excluded groups. / The guide was published in September 2013.
8. We will explore how health and wellbeing boards can be supported to ensure that the needs of Gypsies and Travellers with the worst health outcomes are better reflected in Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategies. / Department of Health undertook a review of all Joint Strategic Needs Assessments current at April 2013 to provide a benchmark. This has been shared with Gypsy and Traveller organisations to facilitate transparency and support local challenge.
Department of Health has funded Friends, Families and Travellers and Leeds GATE to deliver the “National Gypsy and Traveller Health Inclusion Project”, a three year programme of work, ending in 2015, to encourage and support greater recognition of the needs of Gypsies and Travellers in local assessment, planning and commissioning of health services. An early outcome is a cost benefit analysis ‘Gypsy and Traveller Health-Who Pays?’ which makes the case for early, appropriate, intervention to improve health outcomes for these communities.